True Story 1 by Jose Chavarry

I spoke to Jose Chavarry today about both of these images. I had wanted to make “True Story 1” the Daily Pic last night, but there was something about the image that held me back. “The Last SMS From Shenzhen,” which came in from him last night, and garnered some wonderful comments, also piqued my curiousity.

Before I go any further, I want to say to any of you who are perhaps new to the site that Jose is one of my favorite artists. A true star in the P1xels’ constellation. We have spoken on the phone many times. We met in Santa Monica for the last Apple event of last year and I had the great pleasure to enjoy his stellar presentation about the evolution of his art. He is a good man and a fine artist with a distinct vision.

I called him this morning about both these images. He explained that both were created using “found” images on the web, downloaded, and assembled using Juxtapose and other apps on his iPhone. After some discussion, I decided that the images had to come down. I explained that P1xels is, by definition, devoted to images shot and processed solely on iOS devices. If I start allowing people to use images of any indeterminate origin, that is a very slippery slope (one that has infected Instagram), and suddenly we have pictures shot with DSLRs or we turn into another one of ten thousand photoshop sites.

The Last SMS From Shenzhen by Jose Chavarry

Jose, gentleman that he is, suggested I use these images as an opportunity to reaffirm what the term “iphoneography” means at P1xels. I know that people are shooting pictures from books, clip-art, computer screens, photographs. I have no problem with that. I’ve done it myself.

But, as I said, it is a very slippery slope, so, for now:

All source images used in collages, or layered in, or whatever, must be photographed by and, of course, processed on,  solely an iOS device.

Using downloaded found images off the web is not allowed. Feel free to take a picture of the image on your computer screen (I rather like the moiré patterns often generated in doing so), or from a book, or whatever.

We will, at some point, have individual artist galleries where it would be fine to post work like these images, I suppose, but they would not surface to the main gallery area. Who knows how the medium(s) will evolve and merge going forward. For now, I feel it absolutely mandatory to keep images defined by the devices themselves.

I, along with everybody else, am grateful to have so many works by Jose—we have featured him in every show and presentation we have made—here on the site and I always get excited when I see that a picture of his has come in. I look forward to many more to come. Thank you, Jose.